Harold Montgomery

Harold Montgomery (19 April 1911-17 December 1995) was a Louisiana State Senator for District 36 from 1960 to 1968 (succeeding Herman "Wimpy" Jones and preceding Jack Montgomery) and from 1972 to 1976 (succeeding Montgomery and preceding Foster Campbell).

Biography
Harold Montgomery, Sr. was born in Humble, Harris County, Texas, United States on 19 April 1911, and he attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Colorado at Boulder. He became an agriculture teacher at Haughton High School in Haughton, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, and he also became the owner of a feed store. Montgomery oversaw the mass production of broiler chickens, and he became known as the "father of the poultry industry" in Louisiana. In 1956, he attempted to run for a State Senate seat, but he was defeated by Herman "Wimpy" Jones.

State Senator
In 1960, however, Montgomery defeated him as a conservative candidate, and he opposed deLesseps Story Morrison's candidacy for governor due to fearing that Morrison would begin to desegregate public schools - Morrison was actually a segregationist. Montgomery supported Jimmie Davis during the 1960 election, but he opposed government salary raises implemented during the Davis administration, and he also argued that littering should become a crime. In 1962, he condemned the FBI for its activities in Louisiana, although he admired J. Edgar Hoover for his anti-communism. In 1964, he supported the Republican Party candidate Charlton Lyons against Democratic Party gubernatorial nominee John McKeithen, and he severely criticized President Lyndon B. Johnson after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. In 1967, the attorney Jack Montgomery defeated Harold Montgomery to take over his senate seat in 1968, but Harold Montgomery managed to retake power in 1972. Montgomery became affiliated with the religious right, but he also befriended Governor Edwin Edwards, a progressive. The liberal Foster Campbell took over Montgomery's senate seat in 1976, and Montgomery became involved with the church. He died in 1995, and Edwards was one of the pallbearers at his funeral.